There are several
Saint
Nicholases, two of whom, found in many a Saints' dictionary is actually
the same Saint, that of St. Nicholas of Bari and Myra, because he was
given
the first name last, since his relics are reposed there, and the
second
name comes from his Bishopric see in Asia Minor. He is our subject
here.
But before we present the true story of "Santa Claus" let us list some
of the other Saint Nicholases: St. Nicholas of Flüe, Patron of
Switzerland;
St. Nicholas of Tolentino; and St. Nicholas I, Pope in the 9th
century.
St. Nicholas, of Myra or Bari is venerated in both the Latin and Greek
calendar of Saints on December 6. He belongs to the fourth century,
suffering
under the persecution of Christians waged by the Roman emperor,
Diocletian,
and is believed to have worked a miracle in restoring three kidnapped
children
who had been dismembered when he was the Bishop of Myra. Thus is
derived
his patronage of children. The giving of gifts in honor of the Saint
became
a tradition through an act of generosity in another matter as you will
read below.

THE
STORY
OF THE REAL "SANTA CLAUS"

Who is Santa Claus?
Did he ever live on this earth like other folk? Was he a real person?
Yes;
Saint Nicholas, whose feast day is observed by the Church on December
sixth,
is the great and good Saint who first acted the part of Santa Claus.
How
it happened is a real Christmas story of very long ago.

It was the night
before
Christmas in the great castle of a famous nobleman. No lights shone in
the mansion and no fires burned on the hearths in the lofty rooms. All
was dark and cold and desolate. The owner of the castle sat before the
empty fireplace in the dining hall, his head sunk in his hands.
Upstairs,
his three young daughters had gone supperless to bed.

Despite the fine
stone
palace in which they lived and the high rank to which they belonged,
the
nobleman and his children were desperately poor. His entire fortune had
been swept away some time ago. The nobleman's thoughts were centered
upon
his children rather than himself.

"What will become of
my three poor little girls?" he said to himself sadly. And, indeed, the
future seemed hopeless. Unable to work and with no means to support
them,
they had nothing to look forward to. His pride would not permit him to
beg the help of the other nobles and he realized that the worldly lords
and ladies of his station in society would consider his family
disgraced
because they were no longer wealthy.

Lost in his gloomy
meditations,
the nobleman remained in his chair while the hours slipped by,
unheeded.
Outside the streets grew deserted and silent. Everybody had gone home.
Finally, his head sank on his chest and he fell asleep.

Suddenly he was
awakened
at midnight by a strange sound. Someone had hurled something down the
chimney.
The mysterious package lay on the empty hearth before him. He jumped up
and looked wildly around. When he discovered the parcel he was afraid
to
open it at first. Who could tell what it might contain or what enemy
might
have sent it rolling down in that queer manner!

After a while his
curiosity
overcame his fright and he cautiously reached out and picked up the
object.
It was a large ball, securely tied. It was heavy and gave out a
chinking
sound when he handled it. Quickly he untied the string and emptied the
contents of the ball. Imagine his astonishment and delight when he saw
a pile of gold pieces!

For a long time the
nobleman wondered who could have done such a kind deed to him and his
daughters.
But he was unable to discover the identity of the unknown benefactor.
The
months sped by and after a while the nobleman gave up all hopes of
solving
the mystery. In the meantime his eldest daughter had married and he had
been able to provide her with a suitable dowry from the ball of gold.

Again it was
Christmas
Eve and the nobleman had come once more to the end of his money. His
daughter's
marriage had taken the greater portion of the mysterious gift and now
he
was faced with the same hopeless prospects as before. Again he remained
before the cheerless, empty fireplace until sleep overcame him.

Then a remarkable
thing
took place. Exactly at the stroke of midnight another Christmas parcel
was thrown through the chimney and landed on the hearth. The nobleman
jumped
up, wide awake, and picked it out of the ashes. He could hardly believe
his senses when he found that it was another ball of gold pieces.

He rubbed his eyes
as
if he were still dreaming. But no, there could be no mistake. Here was
another small fortune, coming to him out of the sky on Christmas Eve.

"Who among all the
people
I know can be such a real friend in need?" he wondered. "Why does he
perform
this kind act at Christmas time and in such a secret way? Whoever he
may
be, God bless him and keep him!"

This time the count
made careful inquiries and discovered that he was not the only person
who
shared the charity of the unknown benefactor. Many other people who
needed
help, especially the little children of the poor, had received
mysterious
presents while they were asleep on Christmas Eve. But nobody knew who
it
was that remembered them so generously.

"He must be a Saint
or an Angel from Heaven!" they exclaimed.

The following
Christmas
the nobleman again sat before the empty hearth in the castle dining
hall
but this time he did not fall asleep. He was determined to discover who
the mysterious benefactor really was. When the midnight hour drew near,
he was trembling with excitement.

He was not
disappointed.
With a loud thump another heavy ball of gold came down the chimney. He
did not wait to pick it up but ran as fast as he could out into the
street.
He was just in time to see a shadowy figure climbing down the wall of
the
castle. He shouted to the stranger to stop but he leaped to the earth
and
darted through the rear gate. The nobleman had no intention of giving
up
so easily. He hurried after the disappearing form at full speed. Down
the
street and around a corner he rushed, calling at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly the figure
darted into a doorway but his pursuer made a final plunge and grasped
him
by one foot. The mystery was solved at last He had captured the unknown!

"Bishop Nicholas!"
exclaimed
the nobleman, falling on his knees. "So, it was you. I might have
guessed
it could be none other. How can I ever thank you?"

"Say no more, my
dear
son," said the Saintly bishop, who was overcome with confusion because
his good deed had been discovered. "Only promise me one thing."

" Anything,
anything,
good Father Nicholas," said the nobleman, while tears of happiness and
gratitude flowed down his cheeks.

"Promise me on your
honor never to reveal what you have found out tonight."

The nobleman gave
his
word that he would not tell but curiosity made him ask Saint Nicholas
what
prompted him to perform his secret acts of generosity.

"Tomorrow is the
Birthday
of the Lord," replied Saint Nicholas. Accept the gold as a gift
for
His sake, Who for our sakes became poor."

For many years Saint
Nicholas continued his Christmas Eve custom, and not until after he had
died and gone to Heaven was the secret revealed. Is it any wonder that
he has come to be looked upon as "Santa Claus," who is the symbol of
Christmas
giving and the Christmas spirit? As the Patron Saint of Children, Saint
Nicholas has always been and always will be loved by countless little
folks
everywhere.

Even as a child
Saint
Nicholas showed every indication of his future Saintliness and
nobility.
He was the son of wealthy parents, who brought him up to love and serve
God. He was only a youth when they died and left him to manage a large
fortune. From the beginning he devoted it to the poor, seeking out
those
who most needed help.

His good deeds won
him
renown far and near but his humility was as great as his charity. He
shunned
popular notice and performed his works of mercy in secret. In spite of
himself, he was recognized even in lifetime as a Saint and was
appointed
bishop of his diocese.

Saint Nicholas had a
special love for the small ones of his flock, who in turn loved him
dearly.
His great love of the Divine Babe of Bethlehem inspired them with a
like
devotion. He looked upon his wealth as a gift from God, freely bestowed
upon him to be used for others rather than himself. His example has
come
to us through the ages as the perfect model of Christmas giving. His
gifts
were made for the sweet sake of the infant Savior Who came down from
Heaven
on Christmas morn to bestow upon us the priceless gift of Himself.

HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE AND THE FIGURE OF SANTA CLAUSBased
on a chapter in the book, RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS, by Fr. Weiser, S.J.Available
from TAN Books.

The figure of "Santa
Claus" is not Saint Nicholas in disguise as some think. This is what
happened:When the Dutch came
to America and established the colony of New Amsterdam, their children
enjoyed the traditional "visit of St. Nicholas" on December 6, for the
Dutch had kept this ancient Catholic custom even after the Protestant
Revolution.
Then, when England founded the colony of New York in the same
territory,
the kindly figure of Sinter Klaas (pronounced like Santa Claus) soon
aroused
the desire among the English children of having such a heavenly visitor
come to their own homes, too.

The
English settlers were glad and willing to comply with the anxious wish
of their children. However, the figure of a Catholic Saint and bishop
was
not acceptable in their eyes, especially since many of them were
Presbyterians,
to whom a "bishop" was repugnant. Also, they did not celebrate the
feasts
of Saints according to the ancient Catholic calendar.

The
dilemma was solved by transferring the visit of the mysterious man whom
the Dutch called Santa Claus from December 6 to Christmas, and by
introducing
a radical change in the figure itself. It was not merely a "disguise,"
but the ancient Saint was completely replaced by an entirely different
character. Some clever mind invented this substitution in the
eighteenth
century. Behind
the name Santa Claus no longer stands the traditional figure of St.
Nicholas,
but the pagan Germanic god Thor (after whom Thursday is named). To show
the origin of the modern Santa Claus tale, let us give some details
about
the god Thor from ancient Germanic mythology: Thor
was the god of the peasants and the common people. He was represented
as
an elderly man, jovial and friendly, of heavy build, with a long white
beard. His element was fire, his color red. The rumble and roar of
thunder
were said to be caused by the rolling of his chariot, for he alone
among
the gods never rode on horseback, but drove in a chariot drawn by two
white
goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). He was fighting the giants of ice
and
snow, and thus became the Yule-god. He was said to live in the
"Northland,"
where he had his palace among the icebergs. The pagans considered him
as
the cheerful and friendly god, never harming humans, but rather helping
and protecting them. The fireplace in every home was especially sacred
to him, and he was said to come down through the chimney into his
element,
the fire. (See H. A. Guerber, Myths of Northern
Lands,
Vol. I, p. 61ff., New York, 1895.)

Here,
then, is the true origin of our "Santa Claus." It certainly was a
stroke
of genius that produced such a charming and attractive figure for our
children
from the withered pages of pagan mythology. With the Christian Saint,
however,
whose name he still bears, this Santa Claus has really nothing to do.
To
be honest and historically correct, we would rather have to call him
"Father
Thor," or some such name.

Perhaps
this will make it clear to parents why it is so difficult to explain
"Santa
Claus" as St. Nicholas. There is no basis for such an explanation; the
two figures are entirely different.

Considering
the historical background, it might even seem better not to tell the
children
at all that "Santa Claus" is another name of St. Nicholas. Should we
not
rather let them consider St. Nicholas their Patron Saint (December 6)
and
Santa Claus, the delivery man of presents (December 24), as two
completely
unrelated figures, as they really are?

The
fairy tale of Santa Claus will not be abolished easily, despite the
efforts
of well-meaning people. Nor does it seem necessary. Children do like
fairy
tales, and Santa Claus is one of the most charming of them. Catholic
parents
might use it without harm, provided they apply some safeguards to avoid
an undue over stressing of the Santa Claus figure. Perhaps the
following
suggestions might help:

Keep
the Santa tale in its simple, appealing form and shun the corruptions
introduced
by commercial managers, like Santason, Mrs. Santa Claus and similar
repulsive
features. Never allow the figure of Santa Claus to dominate the
child's
mind. The Child Jesus must be the main figure in all his Christmas
thinking.
Picture to him Santa as merely a servant and delivery man, delightful
but
not very important. A mother had explained this to her children. One
day
she pointed out to them how Santa Claus was to be seen in every
department
store and how he drew so much attention to himself. The children found
it highly amusing that this delivery servant of God should try to make
himself the center of the celebration. "He is a little dumb, isn't he?"
said the girl, "but Jesus likes him and we like him, too."

Do
not let your children present their wishes to Santa. If you want them
to
write down what they desire, let them write to the Child Jesus,
according
to the old Catholic custom. Santa does not give the presents; he only
delivers
what the Lord sends.

The
above suggestions will also help to lessen the "shock" when the
children
find out that "there is no Santa." As one mother did when her little
boy
came full of doubts and asked her if there really was a Santa Claus,
such
a question should always be answered in truth-----no
matter how small the child is.

"Of
course not," said the mother quietly, "that's only a story for very
small
children. You are a big boy now, so you understand how it really is.
Our
dear Lord does not need a delivery man. He has already given you
somebody
who loves you very much and who is happy to give you the Christmas
presents
in His Name. Do you know who these persons are?"

The
child thought for a moment, then he said, "Daddy and Mother?"

"Yes, my dear,"
answered
she, "and would you not rather that Father and I give you the presents?
We love you more than Santa Claus does."

"Why
didn't you tell me that before?"

"Because
it is nice for little children to believe in Santa. Aren't you glad you
did?"

Again
the boy thought for a minute. "Yes, it was nice," he said finally. Then
he added, "But it's much nicer now."

Not
every case can be handled exactly this way, of course. There are
various
ways of doing it. However, by following the general idea, parents will
have no trouble in setting their children straight about the Santa tale
when the right moment comes. The descriptions of great disappointment
and
psychological conflicts we often read about apply only to families
where
the parents have misled their own children by allowing Santa to take
the
central place instead of Christ, whose birthday is the only reason for
the whole feast.

In the web master's
case she did not tell her children about Santa Claus except to explain
briefly how the legend came to be and who Saint Nicholas really is. Our
sons had no problems adjusting as there was none to be done. I did tell
them not to "spoil" things for those children whose parents did
otherwise,
and they never did.